Winter's Heart
by Sunstar2
Summary: You called me evil for making you wait, which I really appreciate btw ;-, well now the waiting is over, the final part is now up!
1. Part 1

A/N:  This piece of fun fluff was inspired by cold mornings spent not wanting to get out of bed and the gorgeous winter's day we've had today.  It'll probably be a short two-part fic because I'm too tired to write it all at once and I have two exams in the next two days.  Not exactly a Christmas fic but definitely a winter one.  Hope you enjoy it.  And yes, I stole the title but where from and what are you going to do about it?

Disclaimer:  I don't own Mutant X and probably never will but I can let my imagination run riot and they can't do anything about it…hee hee

Winter's Heart – Part 1

Bitter yet beautiful, winter dawned over Sanctuary, her fingers caressing the mountain slopes, bringing scant warmth to the air.  Each individual blade of grass glittered as the weak rays of the sun splintered on the minute, perfectly formed crystals.  Only one inhabitant watched the progression of the light across the sky, her breath misting in front of her face as she perched effortlessly on the low branches of a large tree near the entrance to Sanctuary.  She defied her feline desire for warmth, intent on the sight unfolding before her eyes.  Only when the sun had appeared fully above the horizon and her need for food and warmth became consuming did she drop lightly to the ground, her footprints leaving dark green marks where she disturbed the frost.  

The hallways were deserted and warm, the systems maintaining a stable temperature and banishing the early morning chill, hence her excursion outside.  A feral needed to feel things like that.  Breakfast was almost ready and the smell of coffee permeating every nook and cranny in Sanctuary before anyone else made an appearance.  As predictable as ever, Brennan stumbled into the kitchen, dishevelled and looking as though he had just fallen out of bed, which Shalimar reminded herself he probably had.  Without hesitation, he grabbed her steaming mug of coffee from the counter and started drinking.  

"Brennan!  Get your own mug!"

"After you've gone to all the trouble of making this one for me?!"  He grinned sleepily at her and she crumbled, she could hardly resist him normally but in his current state, he was adorable.  He flopped down at the table, narrowly managing to avoid spilling his, or rather her coffee.  Shalimar poured herself another mug and went to join him.

"You've got a red nose, Rudolph," he murmured with a smile as she sat down across from him.  Her hand flew self-consciously to her nose and she laughed, 

"I was outside," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee and feeling the heat spread through her body.  He looked at her incredulously before returning to the welcoming heat of his own coffee.  "I happen to like winter mornings," she answered his look a little defensively.

"I happen to like my bed on a winter morning.  Maybe you should try it too," he replied.  Shalimar blinked, unsure if he'd just suggested what she thought he had but he was staring into his coffee and gave no sign of noticing her surprise.  She ran her finger around the rim of her mug, slightly disappointed, not noticing the small smile Brennan was trying to conceal as watched his coffee swirling round.  He looked up and found her eyes on her mug, giving him the chance to study her without interruption.  Her cheeks matched her nose, glowing from the cold air outside and her eyes, partially shaded by her lashes, reflected the colour of the liquid in the mug.  Shalimar sensed his eyes on her and looked up suddenly causing them both to blush with embarrassment as their eyes met.

Emma was next to appear, startling the two mutants from their reverie.  In teddy pyjamas and without pausing to look at them, she padded over to the coffee pot and poured a cup for herself and one for Adam whom she'd seen asleep in the lab as she'd passed.  Returning the way she had come in she threw a sleepy "morning guys" over her shoulder as she padded out the door.

"Morning?" Shalimar huffed.  "It's nearly afternoon."

"We aren't all dawn birds like you, Rudolph!"  Brennan grinned cheekily.

"Watch it, Mulwray.  Anymore of that and you'll regret ever getting out of that bed of yours!"  Brennan couldn't resist, teasing Shalimar always had such interesting effects.

"What?  Are you going to attack me with your antlers, Rudolph?"  The indignation on Shalimar's face at his question definitely made any pain that would follow worthwhile as she lunged across the table towards him, sending her half full mug flying.  Despite his show of tiredness he was ready and rolled out his seat onto the floor resulting in the feral landing where he had been sitting.  With an evil glare, spoiled by the fact that she had now managed to spill _his coffee all over her as well, she pounced onto the floor, pining his shoulders down.  He simply laughed at her, "Now, Shal.  You need to get that temper of yours under control or it'll do some damage!"_

"That's the general idea," she growled at him playfully, "the more damage the better!"

"Come on, you don't mean that.  You don't hate me that much, do you?"

"Hate, no.  Have a desire to make you pay, yes," she stated simply.

"Well we'll just have to see about that then, won't we?"  And with that he flipped her onto her back.

"Oh, strong man now are we?" she commented.  He grinned in reply before finding himself on the ground again and Shalimar sitting on top of him smirking triumphantly.  "Obviously not."

A mad scuffle ensued in which Shalimar had the upper hand until Brennan resorted to tickling her.  Her hysterical squeals for mercy reverberated through Sanctuary waking the last occupant from his blissful slumber.

The two mutants lay side by side, panting.  Brennan had finally stopped tickling when Shalimar's squealing had very nearly deafened him.  He looked over at her and seeing her hair mused across her face, lifted a hand to move it.  She turned her face into his hand as he touched her and their eyes locked, both feeling an instant connection with the other.  Brennan rolled onto his side, bringing his other hand over to gently trace the outline of her face, noticing for the first time really how rich the colours of her eyes were and the way her soft, half smile lit up her face.  He drew her slowly towards him and she came willingly.  

The last coffee seeker staggered into the kitchen, his blond hair tousled, his eyes half shut, Jesse followed his nose to the coffee pot.  Brennan and Shalimar jumped up from the floor, both scarlet and looked anxiously over at their friend.  Jesse however hadn't even noticed that they were there and gave a start when he turned round to see them standing behind him.

"You could wake the dead, Shal," he grumbled, registering neither the red faces nor the fact that both of them seemed a little breathless, before he shuffled back to his room.  

Look out for part 2, coming soon!


	2. Part 2

A/N:  This rest of this fic was inspired by waking up this morning to a typically scabby Scottish day L; good things never last long enough!  On the plus side, only one exam left now (which I should be studying for instead of writing this) and I'm free until the results come out after Christmas which will be an interesting experience to say the least.  

Disclaimer:  I don't own Mutant X and probably never will but I can let my imagination run riot and they can't do anything about it…hee hee

Winter's Heart – Part 2

That awkward stage in between knowing that something is bound to happen and it actually happening was where Shalimar and Brennan now found themselves.  They had exchanged embarrassed glances in the kitchen before running off in different directions, neither really sure where the other was going as their words had come out at the same time in a muddle of explanations for leaving followed by stuttered apologies for interrupting the other resulting in both of them being even more confused and if possible, a brighter shade of red than before.  

Shalimar retreated back outside, her haven when Sanctuary became too small to contain her.  Resting on the same tree she had that morning, she tried to sort out the jumble of thoughts rushing through her head but one thought kept halting the torrent…Brennan.  No matter how hard she tried to reason things out to herself he kept coming back, an insistent little rock, stopping her rational thought and only allowing thoughts of him to pass through.  How his eyes were like pools of dark liquid, reflecting his emotions, his hand softly grazing her cheek, the warmth from his body, heating her more effectively than coffee ever could…

STOP IT! she commanded herself.  She knew she shouldn't even be contemplating a team mate in such a way but she had been finding it increasing difficult not to, even before this morning had happened.  The only things that kept her from doing anything were her worry of what would happen to the team if it didn't work out and the fear that he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings.  This morning, he had taken her fear and squashed it into a tiny insignificant ball, making her feel warm with happiness inside but the warmth was quickly doused as she reminded herself of her worry.  She couldn't exactly see Adam being happy about a blossoming relationship between two of his team members, matters could become so much more complicated if she and Brennan brought personal feelings into missions.  But, instinctively, she knew this was right, she knew it was meant to happen…wasn't it?

Brennan wasn't having much of an easier time that Shalimar as his thoughts poured through his head.  The punch bag in the training room wasn't having an easy time either.  Activity was what helped Brennan think best and the punch bag just happened to be handy.  Unfortunately, his thoughts were so overwhelming that he didn't notice the ripped canvas and the blood slowly seeping through the bandaging on his hands.  

Shalimar, god, he had never thought it could have been possible.  Shalimar was one you admired from afar but never got close enough to do anything about it.  Sure, they did their fare share of teasing and flirting with each other, but that was just natural, representative of the close friendship they had and that was something he didn't want to lose.  The way he felt around her, the response she evoked in him, this morning being a prime example, wouldn't let him forget this.  He wanted her so badly and he knew she felt something of his want after the incident in the kitchen.  The question burning in his mind was should he say anything to her.  He didn't want to ruin their friendship but he didn't think he could go through life never having known if there was a chance for them.

With a jolt of shock Brennan realised the white canvas before him was covered with streaks of blood that corresponded with streaks along the white bandages over his knuckles.  Unwrapping the strips, he looked with sardonic amusement at the damage to the skin.  Even indirectly she managed to cause him injury.

Liberal application of an antiseptic cream stung till his eyes watered but he sat through a safety lecture from Adam, who was no doubt wondering at Brennan's lack of protest at what the team called his 'worried granny speeches'.  Following Adam's administrations and cautions he wandered about Sanctuary looking for Shalimar, wanting to talk to her but half hoping not to find her as he didn't have the faintest clue where to begin.  As night was beginning to fall he had given up looking.  She was nowhere in Sanctuary and all she had told Emma was that she was going for a walk and would be back in the evening.  Brennan sat through dinner in silence, his team mates throwing concerned glances at each other over his apparent lack of enthusiasm for the pizza sitting in front of him.  Even Jesse's teasing did nothing to raise him from the listless state he had fallen into.  Before dinner was finished, he had pushed his plate away and with the barest of apologies for 'being unsociable', disappeared into his room.  

"_What_ is wrong with that one?" Jesse looked over at Emma, confused.

"I think he's been bitten by the cat," she replied with a small smile.  Telempathy definitely came in useful now and again.

"But we don't have a cat," Jesse protested, bewildered, earning himself a slap on the head and an "idiot" from Emma as she carried the dishes into the kitchen.  "What?!  Emma?  What is it?  What's going on?" he moaned plaintively as he trailed after her only to have a cloth thrown in his face and an order to clean up his mess at the table.  

Shalimar slipped quietly, more force of habit than anything else, in through the back door of Sanctuary.  Walking had given her a good chance to think, she knew what had to happen now and she knew a talk with him was the only way to make things clear.

TBC…

Ok, so I lied when I said two parts (actually I said PROBABLY two parts…hee hee) but I just had to end this chapter here.  The next and final chapter is written however and will be up after you have time to agonise over what Shal's decision will be.  Don't worry. I won't leave you hanging too long but being evil is sooooo much fun!!!


	3. Part 3

A/N:  Here's the last part as promised, I know I'm evil but I'm glad everyone has enjoyed it and I'd like to give myself a big hand for actually managing to finish a story with more than one chapter…lol!  With a Christmas break of a month looming, no work needing doing and my own computer, there is a slight hope that I might introduce my loyal readers to another one of those rare occurrences, an ending to one of my other fics!

Disclaimer:  I don't own Mutant X and probably never will but I can let my imagination run riot and they can't do anything about it…hee hee

Winter's Heart – Part 3

Shalimar stole past everyone's bedroom doors with as much feline silence as she could muster.  She wasn't exactly avoiding them but she had a feeling Emma would work out what was going through her head and she didn't want awkward questions before she had the chance to talk to Brennan.  Pausing at the doorway to the room of the man in question she watched him rub cream on the broken skin of his knuckles and wince as the antiseptic berated him for his stupidity.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly.  Brennan glanced up to see the object of his desires standing in his doorway, illuminated from behind by the soft light from the hallway.

"What do you mean?" he replied confused, and slightly surprised to see her there.

"Your knuckles," she replied pointedly, raising an eyebrow at his confusion.  

"Oh, that.  I was thinking," he answered wryly.

"I didn't know it was such a dangerous business," she quipped. 

"Depends who you're thinking about," he murmured softly catching her gaze.

"And who was that?" she asked, trying to form her thoughts into coherent sentences as she drowned in his eyes.  He got up off his bed and walked slowly over to her.  Catching her chin in his hand he lifted her face up to look at her.

"You," he answered quietly, "and where have you been?"

"Walking…" she managed to force out as her throat tightened with emotion," and thinking as well."

"About…"

"You," she finished with a small smile, reaching up a hand to caress his cheek the way he had hers that morning.  

"And...?"

"And…I know what I want and there is only one way this can go as far as I'm concerned."  With that she reached up and pulled his head down towards her, capturing his lips in a kiss they had been waiting an eternity for.  

Startled at first, he was too shocked to respond but as realised what was happening, that Shalimar was kissing him, his heart leapt for joy and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, feeling her small body mould to his perfectly.  Shalimar pushed him backwards onto his bed and climbed on top of him, never breaking the kiss as she tangled her fingers in his hair.  Only when lack of oxygen became a problem did they break the kiss, both breathing hard with the emotion of the moment.

"Shal…" Brennan whispered huskily, reaching up and brushing an errant strand of hair from her beautiful eyes.

"Shhh," she answered, placing a finger to his lips, so he kissed her finger instead and then her lips again.  The winter night grew deeper outside as they lay in the warmth of each others arms eventually drifting off into a blissful sleep.

*  *  *  

Morning dawned with none of the icy beauty of the previous day and the dawn light found Shalimar snuggled in Brennan's arms watching the rain thunder down outside the window.  Brennan stirred and smiled as he opened his eyes to find Shalimar beside him and the rain splattering off his window.  

"Not going outside this morning?" he asked sleepily.

"Somehow, I don't think so," she replied, he could hear the smile in her voice, "someone suggested yesterday that I should try a morning in your bed so I decided to do so."

"Well, what do think?"

"I think I like it a lot," she laughed rolling over to give him a soft kiss before burrowing into him more tightly.  Brennan smiled and wrapped his arms tighter round his blonde beauty and they lay listening to the melodies of the wet winter morning.

The End

A/N 2:  Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far, I'm considering writing a short sequel to this set specifically at Christmas ie. a few weeks after this happens, something fluffy and cute again probably, if there is any interest.


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